Pondering switch in substrate

[zachbinger]

So I'm pondering a switch in substrate I started with cypress mulch but my snakes ended up with mites am using aspen now but I don't really like it to much. Have heard of quite a few ppl that use artificial turf well grass as its easy to clean and lasts forever as long as you have enough for each cage to have at least 2 changes. Anybody have any input on this?

[jclaiborne]

I personally dont like reptile carpet, it harbors bacteria, won't hold humidity, and doesn't give your animal the ability to burrow. IMO you should get a can of Provent a Mite, some more cypress mulch and just treat it.

[Cyndymei]

I personally really like eco earth. It really holds humidity well and my snake likes to burrow in it and dig himself some insulation in his hide. One brick also makes A LOT of substrate. A single brick makes more than enough for my 40 gallon breeder and it lasts a long time even with spot cleaning. It also clumps together when your snake urinates on it so it makes it very easy to clean.

[Gary P]

Don't buy your cyprus mulch at pet stores. I've had trouble with buying bedding there since they also have reptiles and the mites (If they have them, and it wouldn't surprise me if they always do) could easily get into the bedding, then you take it home and now you have mites. Pet Smart is where I got aspen that had mites. What a pain in the neck it was to get rid of them.
It's been about a month and a half, and no sign of them yet, still worried.

I buy my cyprus mulch at home depot. It their garden center outside, they have a huge bag for just a few bucks. It's all natural and looks great. No issues with it so far. Two of my snakes like to burrow, and every morning when I get up, their cages are all rearranged haha, they seem to like it.

And when I clean their cages completely and change out the mulch, I just dump the stuff that was in their cages in our hedges outside, looks nice and you get even more bang for your buck.

[jasonmcgilvrey83]

I've used eco earth, repti bark, adorn, and paper towels. Eco earth and repti bark is good for humidity and they can burrow but I keep going back to paper towels. Just in case my snakes do get mites from being out side sense I take them out all the time it's easier to see mites and my snakes seem to like the paper towels for some reason. Not to mention it holds humidity pretty well and easy clean up.

[zachbinger]

I've got a bag of eco earth I'm thinking of soaking some and putting it under the aspen to see if that helps any I liked cypress but like I am a lil gun shy I bought bag of aspen at tractor supply so I'll be using it for a while I think lol

[KMG]

This is what mine looks like mixed.

I used cypress mulch in most of my cages for the longest. I like it alot. I buy the Forest Floor from the pet store. I find it much cleaner with less big shards and chunks that I got when I got the garden store variety.

Just this past week I changed my mulch into a mixture of cypress mulch, repti bark, and eco earth. I try to keep naturalistic cages and I absolutely love how the mix looks. It still holds moisture well but looks much more natural. I just mix is in a large tub until it looks like I want it to. I use what I need and the rest stays in the tub until I need it. When that time comes I will add water, mix, and use.

[Spike89]

So I'm pondering a switch in substrate I started with cypress mulch but my snakes ended up with mites am using aspen now but I don't really like it to much. Have heard of quite a few ppl that use artificial turf well grass as its easy to clean and lasts forever as long as you have enough for each cage to have at least 2 changes. Anybody have any input on this?

I had just the opposite with mine. Aspen had mites. Cypress no mites. I buy organic. The other stuff seems to attract mites.

[raisinjelly]

After buying the substrate you can freeze it for 24-48 hours or so to kill off any hitchhikers like mites before you add it in. I've never used cypress mulch but that's what I used to do with aspen and carefresh.